Part 3 (1/2)

Having made this discovery, we shall proceed to examine the progress of the kingdom among Jew and Gentile; and what were its fruits, gifts, and blessings as enjoyed by its citizens.

Soon after the organization of the kingdom of G.o.d at Jerusalem, Philip came to Samaria, and there preached the Gospel: and when they believed Philip, they were baptized, both men and women, and had great joy. And afterwards, Peter and John came from Jerusalem, and prayed, and laid their hands on them, and they received the Holy Ghost. Mark here, they first believed, and then were baptized, having great joy, and yet had not received the Holy Ghost. But that was afterwards given, by the laying on of hands and prayer, in the name of Jesus. O how different from the systems of men!

Witness Paul's conversion while on his journey to Damascus: the Lord Jesus appeared to him in the way; but instead of telling him his sins were forgiven, and pouring the Holy Ghost upon him, He sent him to Damascus, telling him that it should there be told him what he should do. And coming to Damascus, Ananias being sent, commanded him not to tarry, but to ”arise and be baptized, and wash away his sins, calling on the name of the Lord;” then he arose and was baptized, and was even filled with the Holy Ghost, and straightway preached that Jesus was the Christ.

Again, witness Peter going to Cornelius, a Gentile of great piety, whose prayers were heard, and whose alms were remembered, and who had even attained to the ministering of an angel; yet with all his piety, and the Holy Ghost poured out upon him and his friends, before they were baptized, they must be baptized, or they could not be saved. Why?

Because the Lord had commanded the Apostles to preach to every creature, and every creature who would not believe and be baptized, should be d.a.m.ned, without one exception. Witness the words of the angel to Cornelius: ”He (Peter) shall tell thee words whereby thou and all thy house shall be saved.” Now, query, could Cornelius have been saved without obeying the words of Peter? If so, the angel's errand was in vain.

Now, perhaps a minister, who should find a man as good as Cornelius was, would say to him: ”Go on, brother, you can be saved, you have experienced religion, you may indeed be baptized to answer a good conscience, if you feel it your duty; or, if not, it is no matter, a new heart is all that is really necessary to salvation,” etc.; as much as to say, that the commandments of Jesus are not absolutely necessary to salvation; a man may call him Lord, Lord, and be saved, just as well as by keeping His commandments. Oh vain and foolish doctrine! Oh ye children of men, how have you perverted the Gospel! In vain do ye call Him Lord, Lord, and do not obey His commandments.

Next, we call to mind the jailor and his household, who were baptized the same hour they believed, without waiting for the day; and Lydia and her household, who attended to the ordinance the first sermon they heard on the subject. Also Philip and the eunuch, who stopped the chariot at the first water they came to, in order to attend to the ordinance, although the eunuch had heard of Jesus, for the first time, only a few minutes before. Now, I gather from all those examples of ancient days, and from the precepts laid down in them, that baptism was the initiating ordinance, by which all those who believed and repented were received and adopted into the church or kingdom of G.o.d, so as to be ent.i.tled to the remission of sins, and the blessing of the Holy Ghost; indeed, it was the ordinance through which they became sons and daughters; and because they were sons, the Lord shed forth the Spirit of His Son into their hearts, crying, Abba, Father. It is true, the Lord poured out the Holy Ghost upon Cornelius and his friends, before they were baptized; but it seemed necessary, in order to convince the believing Jews that the Gentiles also had part in this salvation. And I believe this is the only instance, in the whole record, of the people receiving the Holy Ghost without first obeying the laws of adoption. But mark! Obeying the laws of adoption would not const.i.tute a man an heir of the kingdom, a citizen ent.i.tled to the blessings and gifts of the Spirit, unless those laws and ordinances were administered by one who had proper authority, and was duly commissioned from the King; and a commission given to one individual could never authorize another to act in his stead. This is one of the most important points to be understood, as it brings to the test every minister in Christendom; and questions the organization of every church on earth, and all that have existed since direct inspiration ceased.

Now, in order to come at this subject in plainness, let us examine the const.i.tution of earthly governments in regard to the authority and laws of adoption. We will say, for instance, the President of the United States writes a commission to A. B., duly authorizing him to act in some office in the government, and, during his administration, two gentlemen from Europe come to reside in this country, and, being strangers and foreigners wis.h.i.+ng to become citizens, they go before A.

B., and he administers the oath of allegiance in due form, and certifies the same, and this const.i.tutes them legal citizens, ent.i.tled to all the privileges of those who are citizens or subjects by birth.

After these things, A. B. is taken away by death, and C. D., in looking over his papers, happens to find the commission given to A.

B., and, applying it to his own use, a.s.sumes the vacant office; meantime, two foreigners arrive, and apply for citizens.h.i.+p, and being informed by persons ignorant of the affairs of government, that C. D.

could administer the laws of adoption, they submit to be administered unto by C. D., without once examining his authority; C. D. certifies of their citizens.h.i.+p, and they suppose they have been legally adopted, the same as the others, and are ent.i.tled to all the privileges of citizens.h.i.+p. But by and by, their citizens.h.i.+p is called in question, and they produce the certificate of C. D.; the President inquires-- ”Who is C. D.? I never gave him a commission to act in any office, I know him not, and you are strangers and foreigners to the commonwealth, until you go before the legally appointed successor of A. B., or some other of like authority, who has a commission from the President direct in his own name.” In the meantime, C. D. is taken and punished according to law, for practising imposition, and usurping authority which was never conferred upon him.

And so it is with the kingdom of G.o.d. The Lord authorized the Apostles and others by direct revelation, and by the spirit of prophecy, to preach and baptize, and build up His church and kingdom; but after a while they died, and a long time pa.s.sed away, and men, reading over their commission, where it says to the eleven Apostles--”Go ye into all the world and preach the Gospel to every creature,” etc., have had the presumption to apply these sayings as their authority, and without any other commission, have gone forth professing to preach the Gospel, and baptize, and build up the church and kingdom of G.o.d; but those whom they baptize never receive the same blessings and gifts which characterized a saint or citizen of the kingdom in the days of the Apostles. Why? Because they are yet foreigners and strangers, for the commission given to the Apostles never commissioned any other man to act in their stead. This was a prerogative the Lord reserved unto himself. No man has a right to take this ministry upon himself, but he that is called by revelation, and duly qualified to act in his calling by the Holy Ghost.

But the reader inquires with astonishment, ”What! are none of all the ministers of the present day called to the ministry, and legally commissioned?” Well, my reader, I will tell you how you may ascertain from their own mouths, and that will be far better than an answer from me; go to the clergy, and ask them if G.o.d has given them any direct revelation since the New Testament was finished; inquire of them whether the gift of prophecy ceased with the early age of the church; and, in short, ask them if revelations, prophets, the ministering of angels, etc., are needed or expected in these days, or whether they believe that these things are done away, no more to return to the earth; and their answer will be that the Bible contains sufficient, and that since the canon of Scripture was filled, revelation, the spirit of prophecy and the ministering of angels have ceased, because no longer needed. In short, they will denounce every man as an impostor who pretends to any such thing. And when you have obtained this answer, ask them how they themselves were called and commissioned to preach the Gospel, and they will be at a loss to answer you, and will finally tell you that the Bible commissioned them, saying--”Go ye into all the world,” etc. Thus, you see, all who have no direct personal revelation from the King of heaven, either by angels, the voice of G.o.d, or the spirit of prophecy, are acting under authority which was given to others, who are dead, and their commission stolen, and their authority usurped; and the King will say--”Peter I know, and Paul I know, I commissioned them, but who are you? I know you not, I never spoke to you in my life; indeed you believed it was not necessary for me to speak in your day. Therefore you never sought in faith for any revelation, and I never gave you any; and even when I spake to others, you mocked them, and called them impostors, and persecuted them, because they testified of the things I had said unto them, therefore depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels: for I was an hungered, and ye fed me not; I was naked, and ye clothed me not; I was a stranger, and ye took me not in; sick and in prison and ye visited me not.” ”Ah!

Lord, when did we fail in any of these things?” ”Inasmuch as you have not done it unto the least of these my brethren (taking them for impostors, because they testified of the things which I had revealed unto them), ye have not done it unto me.” But to return: having examined the kingdom of G.o.d as to its offices and ordinances, and having discovered the only means of adoption into it, let us examine more fully what are the blessings, privileges, and enjoyments of its citizens. You have already seen that they were to cast out devils, speak with new tongues, heal the sick by the laying on of hands in the name of Jesus, as well as to see visions, dream dreams, prophesy, etc.

But let us look at the kingdom in its organized state, and see whether these promises were verified to Jew and Gentile, wherever the kingdom of G.o.d was found in all ages of the world.

Paul writing, first, ”To the church of G.o.d at Corinth;” second, ”To them that are sanctified in Christ Jesus;” third, ”To them who are called to be saints;” and fourth, ”To all that in every place call on the name of Jesus Christ our Lord,” says to them all, in 1 Corinthians, xii, 1: ”Now, concerning spiritual gifts, brethren, I would not have you ignorant.” And then, continuing his instructions, a few verses further on, he says: ”But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal; for to one is given, by the Spirit, the word of wisdom; to another the word of knowledge by the same Spirit; to another faith by the same Spirit; to another, the gifts of healing by the same Spirit; to another, the working of miracles; to another, prophecy; to another, discerning of spirits; to another, divers kinds of tongues; to another, the interpretation of tongues; but all these worketh that one and the self-same Spirit, dividing to every man severally as He (Christ) will. For as the body is one, and hath many members, and all the members of that one body, being many, are one body; so also is Christ. For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit. For the body is not one member, but many. If the foot shall say, because I am not the hand, I am not of the body; is it therefore not of the body? And if the ear shall say, because I am not the eye, I am not of the body; is it therefore not of the body? If the whole body were an eye, where were the hearing? If the whole were hearing, where were the smelling?

But now hath Got set the members, everyone of them in the body, as it hath pleased Him. And if they were all one member, where were the body?” I reply, it would not exist. ”But now are they many members, yet but one body. And the eye cannot say unto the hand, I have no need of thee; nor again, the head to the feet, I have no need of you. Nay, much more those members of the body which seem to be more feeble, are necessary; and those members of the body which we think to be less honorable, upon these we bestow more abundant honor: and our uncomely parts have more abundant comeliness. For our comely parts have no need: but G.o.d hath tempered the body together, having given more abundant honor to that part which lacked: that there should be no schism in the body; but that the members should have the same care for one another. And whether one member suffer, all the members suffer with it; or one member be honored, all the members rejoice with it.

Now, ye are the body of Christ, and members in particular. And G.o.d hath set some in the church, first, apostles; secondarily, prophets; thirdly, teachers; after that, miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, governments, diversities of tongues. Are all apostles? are all prophets? are all teachers? are all workers of miracles? Have all the gifts of healing? do all speak with tongues? do all interpret? But covet earnestly the best gifts: and yet shew I unto you a more excellent way.” From the thirteenth verse of the above chapter, we learn that the Apostle is still speaking to the whole church in all ages, whether Jew or Gentile, bond or free, even all who should ever compose the body of Christ, and showing that Christ's body consisted of many members, baptized by one spirit into one body, possessing all these different gifts, some one gift, and some another: and then expressly says, that one member possessing one gift, should not say to another member possessing another gift, we have no need of thee.

And having shown that it required apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers; together with the gifts of prophecy, miracles, healing, and all other gifts, to compose the church, or body of Christ, in any age, whether Jew or Gentile, bond or free; and having utterly forbidden any of the members ever to say, of any of these gifts: ”We have no need of thee,” He declares the body never could be perfected without all of them, and that if they were done away, there would be no body, that is, no church of Christ in existence. Having shown all these things clearly, he exhorts them to covet earnestly the best gifts. And in the thirteenth chapter, exhorts them to faith, hope, and charity, without which all these gifts would avail them nothing: and in the fourteenth chapter repeats the exhortation: ”Follow after charity, and desire spiritual gifts, but rather that ye may prophesy.” Again, in Ephesians, i, 17, Paul prays that the Lord would give unto the church the Spirit of WISDOM and of REVELATION, in the KNOWLEDGE of G.o.d. Again, in Ephesians, iv, he tells them there is one body and one Lord, one Spirit, one faith, and one baptism; and that Christ ascended up on high, led captivity captive, and gave gifts to men. And He gave some apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers. And if the reader inquire what these gifts or offices were for, let him read the twelfth verse: ”For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ.” And if he inquire how long these were to continue, the thirteenth verse says: ”Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of G.o.d, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ.” And if he still inquire what further object Christ had in giving these gifts, let him read the fourteenth verse: ”That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive.”

Now, without these gifts and offices, first, the saints cannot be perfected; second, the work of the ministry cannot proceed; third, the body of Christ cannot be edified; and fourth, there is nothing to prevent them from being carried about with every wind of doctrine.

Now, I boldly declare that the cause of all the division, confusion, jars, discord, and animosities; and the fruitful source of so many faiths, lords, baptisms, and spirits; and of the understanding being darkened; and of men being alienated from the life of G.o.d, through the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their hearts, is, because they have neither apostles, prophets, nor gifts, inspired from on high, to whom they give heed; for, if they had such gifts, and would give heed unto them, they would be built up in one body, in the pure doctrine of Christ, having one Lord, one faith, one baptism, and one hope of their calling; yea, they would be edified, built up unto Christ in all things, in whom the whole body, fitly joined together, would grow into an holy temple in the Lord.

But so long as the cunning craftiness of men can persuade them that they have no need of these things, so long they can toss them about with every wind of doctrine, just as they please.

Now, reader, I have done our examination of the kingdom of G.o.d, as it existed in the Apostles' days; and we cannot look at it in any other age, until renewed again in the last days, for it never did, nor never will exist, without apostles and prophets, and all the other gifts of the Spirit.

Were we to take a view of the churches, from the days that inspiration ceased until now, we should see nothing like the kingdom which we have been viewing with such admiration and delight. But instead of apostles and prophets, we should see false teachers, whom men had heaped to themselves; and instead of the gifts of the Spirit, we should see the wisdom of men; and instead of the Holy Ghost, many false spirits; instead of the ordinances of G.o.d, commandments of men; instead of knowledge, opinion; guess work, instead of revelation; division, instead of union; doubt, instead of faith; despair, instead of hope; hatred, instead of charity; a physician, instead of the laying on of hands for the healing of the sick; fables, instead of truth, evil for good, good for evil; darkness for light, light for darkness, and in a word, anti-Christ instead of Christ; the powers of earth having made war with the saints, and overcome them, until the words of G.o.d should be fulfilled.

O my G.o.d, shut up the vision! for my heart sickens while I gaze; and let the day hasten on when the earth shall be cleansed by fire from such awful pollutions; but first, let Thy promise be fulfilled, which Thou didst make by the mouth of Thy servant John, that Thou wouldst call Thy people out of her, saying: ”Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues;” and then, O Lord, when Thou hast called Thy people out from the midst of her, by the fishers and hunters whom Thou hast promised to send in the last days to gather Israel; yea, when Thine everlasting covenant has been renewed, and Thy people established thereby; then let her plagues come in one day, death, mourning, and famine; let her be burned with fire; that the holy Apostles and Prophets, and all that fear Thy name, small and great, may rejoice, because Thou hast avenged the blood of Thy saints upon her. I ask these things in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.

CHAPTER IV.

THE BOOK OF MORMON--ORIGIN OF THE AMERICAN INDIANS, ETC.

Ye gloomy scenes, far hence, intrude no more!

Sublimer themes invite the muse to soar In loftier strains, while scenes both strange and new Burst on the sight, and open to the view.